According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Chinese authorities identified the new coronavirus, which has resulted in confirmed human infections across the globe, including in the United States. This
worldwide distribution of the virus led the World Health Organization (WHO) to
designate COVID-19 as a CDC's
coronavirus pandemic on March 11, 2020. On March 13, 2020, the President of Disease
Control the United States declared the COVID-19 pandemic a national
emergency. The latest situation summary updates are available on the CDC's
coronavirus webpage.   Currently, there
is an effort to better understand disease transmissibility, infectivity, and
severity associated with this pandemic. Based on the CDC: Spread from
person-to-person SARS-CoV-2 most likely occurs during close (within 6 feet) contact with an infected person.
Person-to-person COVID-19 spread is thought to occur mainly via droplets of respiratory secretions
produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how influenza and
other respiratory diseases spread. These droplets are believed to enter the
mouths and noses of people nearby, and can be inhaled into the nose and lungs.
There is also growing evidence of transmission risk from infected persons
without symptoms or before the onset of recognized symptoms. COVID-19 can also
be transmitted by touching surfaces or objects contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 (the
virus that causes the disease), then touching their mouth, nose, or possibly
their eyes.